Tunnel liner bolt tightening apparatus



July 30, 1935. 1 F. PARKER TUNNEL LINER BOLT TIGHTENING APPARATUS Filed Sepkl 7, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR- el' fer BY ATTORNEY- July 30, 1935. l.. r. PARKER TUNNEL LINER BOLT TIGHTENING APPARATUS Filed Sept. '7, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 t@ BY ATTORNEY- July 30, 1935. L.. F. PARKER TUNNEL LINER BOLT TIGHTENING APPARATUS FiledSept. 7, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 UNF INVENTOR- ATTORNEY- 2N w w N Jlly 30, 1935. l.. F. PARKER l 2,009,409

TUNNEL LINER BOLT TIGHTENING APPARATUS Eiled Sept. 7, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 lNVENTOR Laune F BY// L...

uuly 30, 1935. l.. F. PARKER 0095469 TUNNEL LINER BOLT TIGHTENING APPARATUS Filed Sept. '7, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR- am/ffze Efef ATTORNEY- Patented July 30, 1935 UNITED i STATES PATENT OFFICE TUNNEL LINER BOLT TIGHTENING APPARATUS The present invention is directed to power bolt or nut tighteners, and the object of the invention is to provide a device particularly adapted forheavy duty operation and capable of air or hydraulic actuation in such manner that duringthe power stroke of the device, the resistance ofjthe element being tightened, vcan readily be determined through the use of a gauge in the preslSure cylinder. The device employs flexible connecting members for conveying rotational movement to the element which receives the bolt or nut, which flexible member or members may be in the simple form of a link chain, thus eliminating the necessity for ratchets, and, in the present embodiment, two 'chains are employed arranged in a novel manner through the reciprocation of a piston rod operated by the power device. The apparatus includes a supporting and adjusting rig of a novel typeV in that the device may be moved bodily in the arc of a circle from liner to liner either part way or throughout the circumference'of the tunnel, and, in addition, the device maybe moved toward and from the liner so as to pass the inwardly projecting flanges of abutting liners, and the front section is axially rotatable. A Further objects of the invention willl appear in the course of the specication.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawingsin which Fig. 1 is an elevated view of an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section on the line 2 2, Fig. 4.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the said embodiment.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse section taken on the line 5 5, Fig. 3.

Fig. 61 is an enlarged transverse section on the line 6 6, Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 isa fragmentary' longitudinal section on the line 1 1, Fig. 5. Y

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary longitudinal section on the. line 3 8, Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 9 is a view infront elevation showing elements of the supporting and adjusting rig.

Fig. 10- is a view in side elevation of the supporting and adjusting` rig, partly broken away, and. also showing in dotted: lines members'of the cable drum mechanism.

Fig. l1 is a vertical section on the line I I II., Fig. 10T.. Y

Fig. 12 is a horizontal section on the line I2 I 2, Fig. 10.

Fig. 13 is a front elevation of assembled tu'n-v nel liners showing part of the arcuate trackway of the supporting and adjusting rig and the bolt tightening apparatus carried thereby. Fig. 14 is a vertical section taken longitudinally of assembled tunnel liners showing the device as illustrated in the preceding ligure. Y l

In the drawings, I have indicated at I, two op` posed I plates held in spaced relationship at the rear end thereof by a flanged header 2, and near the front end by a spacer bolt 3 and sleeve 3a.'. At the front end thereof the plates I are apertured to receive flanged bushings 4 within which revolves a sprocket shaft 5, the latter being axially bored to receive the shaft 6 of a socket tool which protrudes at one end of the sprocket shaft and has formed thereon a ratchet socket 1. i

The socket tool 1 is formed with bevelled teeth 1a: to engage similar teeth formed on the said end of the sprocket shaft, the teeth being so formed and related that by oscillation of the sprocket shaft the socket tool may be given a uni-directional movement.

The sprocket shaftis adapted for oscillation by two chains. To that end itis formed with two similar sets of teeth 8, one set receiving a chain 9 and the second set a chainSx. Y ,A .K Each chain is supported and guided near the rear end of the device by one vof two sprocket Wheels II! rotatable upon a shaft II held intermediate the plates I. Below sprocket wheels I0 is the forked end I Ia: of a piston rodi I. Forked end n Ilo: carriesa stud I2 (Fig. '1). Stud I2 is pivotally interconnected with links ofl the chain so that movement of the piston rod I I will impart movement to the chain. Near the front end of the device the links pass under and are guided by sprocket pinions I3 mounted on a shaft indicated at Mxrr.

Reference to Figs. 5to 8 inclusive will show that header 2 is a flanged sleeve providedv with an axially extending flange'Z abutting the end of cylinder I4 and also provided with forwardly projecting flanges 2m: bolted to the plates I. Cylinder I 4 is axially bored to receive a packing I5 surrounding piston rod I I, the packing being held place by a plate I6 bolted to the end of the cylin-- der and overlapping flanges 2x of the header 2. A retaining ring |611: is secured to header 2, its inner wall engaging an annular ilange |45; (Fig. '7) formed externally of cylinder I4. By this arrangement the bolt tightening appartus' per' se, including header 2, may be rotated uponf the cyl-'f ILOl inder I4, the piston rod I I partaking in said rotation.

Clamped upon the cylinder I4 are straps I1 which support top and bottom plates I8 and I3 and which have secured thereto a plate 20 against which abuts flanged disk 2| held in position on plate 20 by a retaining ring 22.l Disk 2| has secured thereto a yoke 23 which is pivotally connected by pin 24 to a link member 25 connected by bolt 26 to the drum housing 21, the latter having a function later to be explained.

In the present construction, the straps I1 abut projecting shoulder rings |411: on the cylinder I4, and plate 20 may be rigidly secured to the top and bottom plates I8, I9.

In Fig. 3, I have indicated a pump and valve casing at A carried by lower plate I9. Inasmuch as this mechanism forms no part of the present invention, it is not shown in detail. From the said casing to the cylinder in advance of the piston (not shown) is an inlet pipe 28 and an inlet pipe 28m-leads from the casing to the opposite end of the cylinder (not shown) for admission ofthe fluid to that side of the. piston reverse to the side receiving pressurefrom pipe 28. Pump and valve mechanism within casing A is operatedv from a shaft indicated Vat 2!!v driven by a pulley or sprocket 30 rotated by chain 3l from a pulley 32 on motor shaft 33, the latter being rotated by motor 34. For throwing the pump and Valve intol and out of operation, I have indicated a control rod at connected to a lever 36, the latter being applied to a control shaft 31 projecting through a wall of the casing.

In Figs. 13 and 14, I have shown assembled tunnel liner plates 38 having end abutting ilanges 38x and side abutting flanges 38am, these anges being apertured to receive bolts for connecting a ring of end abutting anges and the contiguous rings of side abutting anges. In Fig. 13 the side apertures are shown together with the rrepresentation of a plurality of bolts applied Within the apertures and the bolt tightening apparatus is shown in position to tighten the nut a on an appropriate bolt. The drum casing 21 which supports the bolt tightening apparatusis in turn mounted to move about an annular supporting trackway 39. The said trackway is formed as an I-beam passing through end apertures formed in the casing and abutted by lower and upper sets of guide rollers 40. Within the casing is a drumY 4I upon which is wound a rope 42 having its end led in opposite directions about the circumferenceof the I-beam trackway, 39, the ends then being secured to the trackway in any suitable manner. It will thus be seen that when drum 4I is rotated in one direction, drum casing 21 will be bodily movedin a given direction relatively to trackway 39. The drum has secured thereto a worm wheel 43 engaged by a worm 44 on a shaft 45. Shaft 45 projects exteriorly of casing 21 and has secured thereto a hand wheel 46. Rotation of the hand wheel will effect rotation of the drum and thereby impart a movement to the drum casing and the bolt tightening apparatus linked thereto in either of two directions in accordance with the direction of rotation of the Wheel.

In the present embodiment the annular trackway 39 is supported upon 'a platform rig generally indicated at B, the latter being mounted on skids C so that the platform rig may be advanced as the lining of the tunnel continues.

In the operation of Vthe device, the operator rotates wheel'46 until the bolt tightening device is brought near the bolt to be tightened. The

proper socket tool is engaged with the nut on the end of the bolt and control rod 35 moved by the operator to set the device in action. Piston rod II will be reciprocated and the lower leads of the two chains will be moved in a straight line toward the header 2 followed by a reverse movement, the chains in such movement being guided under idler sprockets I3 and over idler sprockets II). In this manner, vsprocket shaft 5 will be oscillated and in its positive movements will rotate the nut, the idle movements of the sprocket shaft causing its bevelled teeth 1x to slip over the teeth of the socket tool, the latter being held bythe friction of the nut on the bolt.

When one bolt is tightened, rotation of wheel 45 inthe appropriate direction will swing the apparatus arcuately tobring it into register with Vanother bolt. Whenend flanges are to be connected plates I with header 2 may be rotated so that the socket tool may be brought to a position at righty angles to the position it occupies in connecting side ilanges. Also, in moving the device from one set of end flanges to another set of end anges, the plates I, cylinder I4 and the mountings'carried thereby, including motor 34, may be swung inwardly until the socket clears the end flanges, link member 25 swinging on its pivot 24 during such movement.

It will also be noted that cylinder I4 and plates I may be swung in the arc of a circle relatively to link 25 and drum housing 21 because of the manner in which the cylinder is connected to the link, i. e., through the intermediary of the flanged disk 2| and retaining ring 22,

From the above it will be noted that the socket tool is given step by step rotational movement and this movement may be continued until the fluid pressure required to cause further active movement of the piston rod II shows that the bolt or nut has been tightened to the desired degree. A gauge (not shown) may be connected to the cylinder I4 by suitable piping to indicate the pressure applied to the piston in its active movement.

It will be understood that various modications may be made in the form and arrangement of the elements comprising the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as followszv1." A tunnel liner bolt tightening apparatus for the liner plates of a tunnel comprising a trackway, a movable support for the trackway adapted to hold the same transversely of the tunnel and spaced from the liner plates, a carriage on the trackway, means for moving the carriage upon the trackway, a rotatable tool actuating element, a power device, means operatively connecting said tool actuating element and the power device, means connecting the tool actuating element and the carriage, said means enabling universal movement of said element relatively to the carriage.

2. A tunnel liner bolt tightening apparatus comprising an annular trackway supported in vertical position independently of the liner plates, a carriage on the trackway, means connected with the carriage and coactingwith the trackway whereby the carriage may be moved upon the trackway, a rotatable tool actuating element, means including a cylinder, a'piston'and a piston rod for rotating said tool actuating element,

means connecting the cylinder and the tool actu- 'i5 ating element in such manner that the latter is bodily adjustable to various positions for operation in spaced points disposed Within an arcuate path co-axial with the longitudinal axis of the cylinder and means connecting the carriage and the cylinder in such manner that the cylinder with the tool actuating element is movable on the carriage in transverse planes.

3. A tunnel liner bolt tightening apparatus comprising an annular trackway, a carriage upon the trackway, a drum Within the carriage, means for rotating the drum, a rope Wound upon the drum and having its ends reversely directed and secured in fixed position, a rotatable tool actuatn ing element, a frame for said element, power devices including a cylinder and operative connections between the same, a connection intermediate the cylinder and frame permitting axial rotation of the latter and a connection intermediate the carriage and the cylinder including a link mounted for both pivotal movement and for bodily oscillation.

4. In bolt and nut tightening apparatus, 'a frame, a sprocket shaft rotatably carried by the frame near one end thereof and having supporting means for a tool, tWo sets of chain engaging elements carried by the sprocket shaft, two chains, led over said chain engaging elements of the sprocket shaft, a connecting element connecting each of the chains, a rod connected to the chains, means for reciprocating the rod including a fluid pressure cylinder and a connection intermediate the cylinder and the frame permitting axial rotation of the latter.

LAURIE F. PARKER. 

